South Korea and Israel

God – Our Ultimate Source of Reconciliation

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, Founder and President of International Fellowship of Christains and Jews

Dear Friend of Israel,

When I started The Fellowship nearly 30 years ago, I naturally focused the organization’s bridge-building efforts on the U.S. This made sense: Besides being my home at the time, the U.S. is the country with the largest Christian population in the world, and the second-largest population of Jews. But in the intervening years, we’ve opened offices around the world – in Canada, in Australia, in Brazil, and also in South Korea, a country I was just privileged to visit for the fourth time.

During the trip I was struck again not only by the warm reception I received – from Christian leaders, churchgoers, and seminary students alike – but by how similar Korea and Israel are. South Korea is bordered by North Korea, which has a nuclear weapon and seeks to destroy them. Israel faces a similar threat – to the north we have Hezbollah in Lebanon, to the west Hamas in Gaza, on the east ISIS and other terrorist groups, and, of course, Iran, which is dedicated to Israel’s destruction and is seeking to build a nuclear bomb. Both South Korea and Israel share similar institutions: Both have representative forms of government that provide for their citizens a measure of freedom and liberty. Both value progress, embracing the development of technology and industry, and nurturing innovation. Our cultures share key similarities as well. Family is central to Korean life, and certainly is one of the cornerstones of Jewish life.

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